Bob Arum No Presser Needed
Earlier this week it was formally announced that WBC world heavyweight champion Deontay “Bronze Bomber” Wilder (42-0-1, 41 KO’s) would rematch Tyson “Gypsy King” Fury (29-0-1, 20 KO’s) on February 22, 2020. It was widely assumed that the bout was going to happen. However, the official announcement did put a great deal worries to rest. Interestingly, it was also revealed that there would not be a formal press tour to promote the rematch.
OFF THE BEATEN PATH
In the eyes of many, this is a crucial marketing mistake. For veteran boxing promoter Bob Arum, nothing could be further from the truth or concern him less. The Top Rank big wig is confident that the fight will get all the publicity that it can handle without putting together a traditional press tour. Arum can afford to be this confident considering the networks that the fight is going through.
For Wilder v Fury 2 to become a reality in the first place it was necessary for ESPN and FOX to work together. The pair of networks represents two of the largest broadcasting outfits in the nation. Along with the massive amount of people that they reach in general, Fury and Wilder will greatly benefit from when their fight takes place.
Due to the bout being in late February, the event can be promoted using college football and the Super Bowl. In an interview conducted with IFL TV, Arum explained how those marketing tools will blow a traditional press tour out of the water.
“So people say ‘when are you going to have a proper press conference,’ and the answer is ‘never’! Because both of the fighters will be at the National Championship that takes place in ten days. And then, even better, both of the fighters will be featured at the Super Bowl, which has like 90 million people watching just in the United States. So who needs press conferences when you can get that type of exposure?” ~Bob Arum, Top Rank Promotions
BACKED BY THE NUMBERS
Taking the numbers into consideration, it is hard to argue with the forecast that Arum has provided. It certainly doesn’t hurt anything that even without this same push, the premiere bout was deemed a commercial success.
When Wilder and Fury first locked horns they pulled in 325,000 pay-per-view viewers. The fight should have grossed in the area of $24 million dollars. It is believed that the rematch should be able to eclipse the previous viewership. Time will tell the tale.
3kingsboxing will continue to cover this ongoing and very public heavyweight rivalry.
By: Bakari Simpson
